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Girls at school said I was lucky, but I felt self-conscious and fat, even though the rest of my body was a size 10.

Boys would talk to my chest instead of making eye contact with me, and I became known as ‘the girl with massive boobs’ at school.

I had low self-esteem and avoided PE because it was too painful and embarrassing.

I continually had to be remeasured for bras because my breasts kept growing.

By the time I was 15, I had stopped at a 30J.

It was a struggle to find underwear that was plain and age-appropriate.

Anything in my size was designed for older women and was really expensive.

BTW

In 2015, 5,450 women in the UK had breast reduction surgery.*

The average breast size in the UK is a 36DD.**

The medical term for abnormally large breasts is macromastia.

Private breast reduction surgery costs around £5,000.

I envied friends with B-cup breasts, who could wear delicate bras and didn’t feel the need to hide their chest by wearing loose jumpers.

I also had to take painkillers and have physio because my breasts caused me awful neck and back pain, and I’d often lock myself in my room and cry as I hated feeling so different from everyone else.

When I was 15 my mum Sue, 48, took me to the GP and asked about breast reduction surgery, but he refused to refer me, saying I was too young.

Although the idea of an operation was terrifying, I was crushed to be told it wasn’t an option.

Undeterred, Mum sought a second opinion and in late 2011 I was referred to a specialist, who agreed to operate, saying emotionally and physically I couldn’t wait until I was 18.

FABULOUS

Abbey underwent breast reduction surgery in 2011

I had very mixed feelings as the date for my surgery grew close.

I was desperate to feel like a normal teenager, but petrified of the op, especially as the surgeon told me I would be permanently scarred, lose sensitivity and probably never be able to breastfeed if I had children.

It felt like a huge decision to make at such a young age.

My surgeon recommended I attend a support group for women having breast surgery, but when I went most of them were much older than me and having mastectomies due to breast cancer.

It left me feeling guilty that I was choosing to have a procedure.

FABULOUS

Post surgery, she is now a D cup

My friends were supportive, but I got a few Facebook messages from people I barely knew at school, saying I should be grateful for big breasts, which was upsetting.

Still, I didn’t back out and in February 2012, I had the five-hour op, losing 1.5kg of breast tissue and shrinking from a J to a D cup.

The following day I was able to see my new breasts, but I wasn’t prepared for how swollen they looked and burst into tears.

But as the swelling went down, they began to look more natural.

FABULOUS

Abbey feels empowered now that she is not just known for the size of her boobs

Even the scarring around my nipples was barely noticeable after a couple of months.

Five years on, it’s no exaggeration to say my breast reduction changed my life.

I’m no longer in pain, I can exercise four times a week and can wear bikinis and strappy tops like other girls.

But more importantly, my confidence has rocketed.

Making that huge decision at 15 was scary but empowering, and now I’m just Abbey, not the girl with big boobs.

Abbey originally wrote about her experience for The Tab. Sources: *BAAPS **The Great British Bra Survery, 2015.